KR-102961242-B1 - ANODE FOR LITHIUM METAL BATTERY, ELECTRODE ASSEMBLY FOR LITHIUM METAL BATTERY AND LITHIUM METAL BATTERY

KR102961242B1KR 102961242 B1KR102961242 B1KR 102961242B1KR-102961242-B1

Abstract

The present application can provide a negative electrode for a lithium metal battery and an electrode assembly for a lithium metal battery that can minimize problems occurring during sealing or negative effects on battery performance by preventing the problem of the tab spreading out of the range of the lead when welding the negative electrode tab and the lead in a battery system using lithium metal as a negative electrode.

Inventors

이아름

Assignees

주식회사 엘지에너지솔루션

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20250103
Priority Date: 20240103

Claims (15)

Main body and It includes a negative electrode tab that extends from one edge of the main body and is connected to a metal lead and contains lithium metal, and The above negative electrode tab is configured such that the width of the end portion ( W1 ) and the width of the connecting portion ( W2 ) connecting the end portion and the main body portion are different.
In Article 1, A negative electrode for a lithium metal battery in which the width of the end portion ( W1 ) is narrower than the width of the connection portion ( W2 ).
In Article 2, A negative electrode for a lithium metal battery in which the ratio ( W1 /W2) of the width of the end portion ( W1 ) and the width of the connection portion ( W2 ) is within the range of 0.1 to 0.6.
In Article 2, The above negative electrode tab is a negative electrode for a lithium metal battery having a shape in which the width gradually decreases in the direction away from the main body.
A negative electrode for a lithium metal battery having a main body portion and a negative electrode tab extending from one edge of the main body portion and comprising lithium metal, and It includes a metal lead connected to the above-mentioned cathode tab, and The connection region ( AC ) where the metal lead and the negative tab are connected does not extend beyond the outer boundary of the metal lead, forming an electrode assembly for a lithium metal battery.
In Article 5, The above cathode tab is joined to a metal lead by welding, and The electrode assembly for a lithium metal battery, wherein the cathode tab before being joined by welding is configured such that the width ( W1 ) of the end portion is narrower than the width ( W2 ) of the connecting portion connecting the end portion and the main body portion.
In Article 6, An electrode assembly for a lithium metal battery in which, in the cathode tab after being joined by the above welding, the width of the end portion ( W1 ') is equal to or smaller than the width ( WL ) of the metal lead at a position corresponding to the end portion.
In Article 7, An electrode assembly for a lithium metal battery in which the ratio ( W1 '/ WL ) of the width of the end portion ( W1 ') and the width of the metal lead ( WL ) is within the range of 0.5 to 1.
In Article 5, An electrode assembly for a lithium metal battery in which the area ( A1 ) of the connection area ( AC ) relative to the area ( A2 ) of the above-mentioned negative electrode tab is 50% or more.
A lithium metal battery comprising a negative electrode and a metal lead, the negative electrode comprising a plurality of negative electrodes having a stacked structure including a first negative electrode and a second negative electrode, and a metal lead. Each of the above plurality of cathodes includes a main body and a cathode tab extending from one edge of the main body and comprising lithium metal, and The first cathode is positioned so that the cathode tab is connected in direct contact with the metal lead, and the second cathode is positioned at the outermost edge of the stacked structure so as not to be in direct contact with the metal lead, An electrode assembly for a lithium metal battery in which the connection region ( AC ) where the metal lead and the negative tab of the first negative electrode are connected does not extend beyond the outer boundary of the metal lead.
In Article 10, The cathode tab of the first cathode is joined to a metal lead by welding, and The above plurality of cathodes are joined by welding to form a stacked structure, and An electrode assembly for a lithium metal battery, wherein the cathode tab of the first cathode, prior to being joined by welding, is configured such that the width ( W11 ) of the end portion is narrower than the width ( W12 ) of the connecting portion connecting the end portion and the main body portion, and the cathode tab of the second cathode is configured such that the width ( W21 ) of the end portion is narrower than the width ( W22 ) of the connecting portion connecting the end portion and the main body portion.
In Article 10, The above plurality of cathodes are joined by welding so that the end portions of each cathode tab match, forming a stacked structure, and An electrode assembly for a lithium metal battery in which the corresponding region (A E ) formed when each bonded region (A J ) between the above-mentioned negative electrodes is projected perpendicularly onto the surface where the metal lead is located does not extend beyond the outer boundary of the metal lead.
In Article 12, An electrode assembly for a lithium metal battery in which the width (W 11 ) of the end portion of the negative electrode tab of the first negative electrode before being joined by welding is equal to or wider than the width (W 21 ) of the end portion of the negative electrode tab of the second negative electrode.
In Article 12, The width ( W1 ) of the end portion of each cathode tab of the plurality of cathodes before being joined by welding is gradually widened from the second cathode to the first cathode in an electrode assembly for a lithium metal battery.
In Article 12, An electrode assembly for a lithium metal battery in which the width (W 11 ') of the end portion of the negative tab of the first cathode and the width (W 21 ') of the end portion of the negative tab of the second cathode, after being joined by welding, are equal to or smaller than the width (W L ) of the metal lead at a position corresponding to the end portion of the negative tab of the first cathode.

Description

Anode for lithium metal battery, electrode assembly for lithium metal battery and lithium metal battery The present application relates to a negative electrode for a lithium metal battery, an electrode assembly for a lithium metal battery, and a lithium metal battery comprising one or more of the negative electrode and the electrode assembly. Recently, the demand for mobile devices such as smartphones, tablet PCs, and wireless earphones has been increasing. Furthermore, as the development of electric vehicles, energy storage batteries, robots, and satellites accelerates, research on high-performance secondary batteries capable of repeated charging and discharging as energy sources is actively underway. Currently commercialized rechargeable batteries include nickel-cadmium, nickel-hydrogen, nickel-zinc, and lithium-ion batteries. Among these, lithium-ion batteries have the advantages of high energy density and a very low self-discharge rate, as they exhibit almost no memory effect compared to nickel-based rechargeable batteries. Batteries are manufactured according to the output and specifications required in various fields. To secure the desired output, electrode tabs are electrically connected by welding them to leads. The aforementioned leads are generally made of metal. Meanwhile, lithium metal batteries utilize metallic lithium as the anode. While metallic lithium is highly advantageous for increasing energy density, it is softer than the conventionally used copper (Cu). Consequently, the tab may spread during the welding process between the anode tab and the lead, potentially causing it to deviate from the lead's boundaries. In such cases, issues may arise during sealing, which can lead to a degradation in overall battery performance. The drawings shown in this application are illustrative of this application, and the ratios of the width, height, or thickness (or height) of each component are intended to illustrate this application in detail and may differ from the actual proportions. Additionally, in the coordinate system shown in the drawings, each axis is perpendicular to the others, the direction indicated by the arrow may be the + direction, and the direction exactly opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow (a direction rotated 180 degrees) may be the - direction. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the front view of at least a part of an electrode assembly for a lithium metal battery according to one embodiment of the present application. FIGS. 2 and FIGS. 3 are plan views showing the rear side of at least a part of an electrode assembly for a lithium metal battery according to one embodiment of the present application. FIGS. 4 and FIGS. 5 are perspective views illustrating at least a portion of an electrode assembly for a lithium metal battery according to one embodiment of the present application. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the rear side of at least a part of an electrode assembly for a lithium metal battery according to one embodiment of the present application. Prior to the detailed description of this application, terms and words used in this specification and claims may not be interpreted as being limited to their ordinary or dictionary meanings. Furthermore, based on the principle that the inventor may appropriately define the concept of terms to best describe their invention, they may be interpreted in a meaning and concept consistent with the technical spirit of the invention. The embodiments described in this specification and the configurations illustrated in the drawings are merely the most preferred embodiments of this application and may not represent all of the technical spirit of this application. Therefore, various equivalents and modifications that can replace them may exist at the time of filing this application. Identical reference numbers or symbols in each drawing attached to this specification may represent parts or components that perform substantially the same function. For convenience of explanation and understanding, the same reference numbers or symbols may be used to describe different embodiments. That is, even if components having the same reference number are depicted in multiple drawings, the multiple drawings may not all represent a single embodiment. In the following description, singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Terms such as "comprising" or "constituting" are intended to specify the existence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not precluding the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof. Additionally, in the following description, expressions such as upper side, top, lower side, bottom, side, front, and rear are based on the direction depicted in the drawing, and may be expressed differently if the direction